On the Margins
by Valhallan Rose
Summary: A Khajiit is no stranger to the outskirts of society. Never allowed within the walls of the city, never quite belonging anywhere. They are thieves, they are sneaks, they are less. M'Rinam wants to be more.


Sand.

Warm air.

The heat of the sun on her dark fur.

Though M'Rinam never could grasp the memories of her ancestral homeland, Elsweyr haunted her dreams. It had become woven into the fibers of her subconscious, a known sanctuary of sorts when all else felt unstable. Such was a consequence of only being allowed to live on the fringes of society, and even then, never knowing when a hold guard would come to force them away.

It was the insecurity of her childhood that made her so desperate for and so attached to the idea of security. This desire meant she found herself in Whiterun, lingering around the marketplace and dodging the grabby hands of the guards until they gave up and left her be. It took a lot of patience and admittedly some poor choices with good intentions, but Whiterun slowly became home.

Over the course of several months, the young Khajiit had won over several of the merchants. At first she was a nuisance - she was nothing more than a sneak-thief child searching for an opportunity. M'Rinam hadn't done much to correct their assumptions, either, as her light fingers snatched bits of produce and meat when they could just for a meal. Rarely did valuable goods go missing - a dress and boots, once, from the general goods store. Those had been worn the next day, and nobody had the heart to order a child to return them when she had little else to wear.

Fralia Gray-Mane was always the most wary. Her jewels and accessories often caught the eye of the cat-child, but she never came too close. She simply watched those that approached the stall, eyes gleaming like the jewels that were secured in the display case on her countertop.

The woman never understood why M'Rinam watched so closely until she had removed a piece from the case in order to show it to a prospective customer. It was placed in the customer's hands so they could take a closer look while she tucked the case under her stand, allowing for a better examination without the case cluttering the surface. Fralia would later curse herself for being so foolish when the person suddenly began to run, clearly an attempt at a theft that she really should have seen coming.

The thief was already ahead of the guards and the more able bodied merchants who could give chase when he darted past the child, the Khajiit quickly stepping out of the way to avoid being trampled. Fralia almost wanted to yell at the girl for not attempting to slow his escape - that had been a diamond necklace, after all - but immediately felt a touch foolish. How could she expect a child to know what to do with a thief?

Fralia's feelings became complex when the child would make her way carefully to the stand and held out two furry hands, the diamond necklace cupped in them and offered to the woman as if it were glass. This...thief child had stolen from another thief. It almost felt ironic, in a sense, but then she returned it. Thieves didn't return what they stole.

"What's your name?" Fralia found herself asking, rather gruffly, making the Khajiit jolt slightly.

"M'Rinam." She said softly, then carefully placed the necklace back on the counter for the older woman.

Fralia raised a brow. "Miriam, huh? Awfully un-catlike." She mused, then shook her head as her hand delved into her collection of septims. The older woman dropped a handful into M'Rinam's hands, and the Khajiit was so surprised she couldn't even find the voice to correct how her name was pronounced. "Go buy yourself some dinner at the Bannered Mare. Think of it as my thanks for bringing my necklace back."

M'Rinam was hesitant to close her hands around the coins, as if the action would make Fralia want to snatch them back. "Thank...thank you." She said, her voice nearly as quiet as her footsteps. She was quick to do just as she was told, paying for as much food as the septims could afford and ending the affair with a full belly and a smile on her feline face.

That day had marked the beginning of Whiterun becoming her new Elsweyr. No longer did she feel the need to retreat into an imagined sanctuary, and she grew content with her living situation as she grew. In return for her sharp eyes, she was housed in the Bannered Mare with a wage paid to her for her own possessions. She had shelter, she had food, she had the things she had longed for before everything changed. M'Rinam, or Miriam, as they all began to call her, found a home from the kindness of others.

* * *

Now, many moons had passed. The days of waking up in the Bannered Mare were gone, and no longer did she have to listen to the sounds of those indulging in the finest mead the bar had to offer. The ceiling above her was her own, secure, and the bed beneath her was how she imagined a cloud to feel if it came down to Tamriel. She still was yet to set foot on the sands of Elsweyr, but it was never too far from her dreams.

However, she had been pulled from Elsweyr on this night. The sound of the creaking door to her room made her ears twitch, and her eyes opened to the light streaming into her room from the main hall.

"Rayya?" She called softly as her steward came into view, carrying a candle to help light the room for herself. "What is it?"

The Redguard gave her an apologetic look. "I'm sorry to wake you. A caravan just arrived. They're asking if you have room to put them up while they wait for the rain to pass."

M'Rinam only waved a hand as she sat up, quickly pulling on a dressing gown and combing her fingers through her hair. "It's alright. Let them in. I'm sure they'd like to dry off. They can stow their tents in the empty stall in the stable."

Rayya nodded while M'Rinam quickly set to work, bringing extra sets of clothes and making sure the beds were ready for their guests. Food would be another matter, if they were hungry, but Lakeview Manor would manage. This was why it stood where it did - to offer kindness back into the world for others. Her doors always stood open for a Khajiit caravan, offering them shelter when no other city would.

The crackling fire in the hearth.

The rain.

Home.

* * *

_Thank you so much for reading. I intend for this, ideally, to simply be an exploration of the life of a Khajiit given a chance. _

_M'Rinam is no Dragonborn, and most likely will not fulfill a major role within Skyrim. Even so, I hope you enjoy her story as it continues. _


End file.
